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The Canes >>> the Gators
With a sold-out venue, this matchup was shaping up to be a great one. Fans from across the country and the in-state locals brought an aura that consumed and covered everything from the houses, streets, businesses, parking lots, tailgaters, and Hard Rock Stadium.
We head into this rivalry match-up with unfortunately, heavy rain...AGAIN! Fortunately, the rain begun to clear up moments after kick-off and we weren't in for another regularly scheduled game day weather delay, that has plagued us since week one.
This game starts off with the Hurricanes showing the Gators their new and improved defense from new defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman. We also got to see the arguably #1 defensive player in the nation and Top 5 overall prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, Rueben Bain Jr., finally get to showcase his power and talent against the Gators, since last season Bain Jr. got injured on the opening drive and wasn't able to make his mark despite Miami winning 41-17 last year.
Florida for the majority of this game was being man-handled by Miami’s suffocating defensive line and the linebacker room protecting the edges like they were on a mission to make Florida QB, DJ Lagway throw the ball. DJ Lagway had thrown 5 INT’s the week prior vs. LSU. Miami’s gameplan was evident that they wanted DJ to beat them using his weaknesses than his strengths which is his athleticism to extend plays and drives.
Miami’s offense on the other hand wasn't a spectacle either. Miami relied on their elite offensive line to run the ball consistently, control the line of scrimmage, and control the time of possession, which they did well...until Gators head coach Billy Napier and his elite defense made the correct adjustments and created a stalemate between both teams. Despite that, Miami was able to take a 13-0 lead at the half, with a touchdown from CharMar Brown and 2 field goals from Carter Davis, the longest being a 53- yarder. Since the running game was working and Miami were hardly throwing down field, Carson Beck didn't really standout too much in the first half.
From the moment Florida made those defensive adjustments, Miami was struggling to move the chains because they weren't going to change the offensive gameplan, which is keep pounding the defensive line and they will give at some point. Doing so led to Beck throwing an interception on one of the only shots down field of the game for Miami. Former Miami commit and Colorado Buffalo, Cormani McClain was the one who made the great play to intercept the pass. Another blunder happened but this time it was on the referees, CharMar Brown on a 4th &1 at FLA 48, rushed had escaped out the pile and ran for 52 yards for a TD, but the officials blew the play dead because they thought he had lost momentum. This call would've given the Hurricanes a 20-0 lead to start the 3rd quarter, unfortunately because of this egregious call, Florida was able to finally gather up a good drive and score, keeping them alive. (13-7)
It wasn't until midway through the 4th quarter that Miami’s gameplan unmasked itself and the Wall of Cristobal (Miami’s offensive line) started to show why they worked hard on conditioning during the offseason. Florida’s defensive line looked absolutely spent trying to stop Miami’s run game, leading to two rushing touchdowns, one from CharMar Brown and one for Mark Fletcher Jr. (26-7). The Hurricanes defense consumed the Gators on the last two drives of the game; both led to turnovers on downs.
FINAL: MIAMI (26 - 7) FLORIDA
Miami wins the 2-year series against Florida and adds on to their undefeated 2026 season and Florida’s 3 game losing streak. Miami will head into their first bye week before facing #8 Florida State in Tallahassee on October 4th @7:30pm on ABC. Both teams will not just be looking to make a statement, they will be looking to show they aren't just hype, plus take control of the ACC. Miami has 2 weeks to prepare, fix and study for this ageless rivalry, if the Hurricanes intend to win the illusive conference title they’ve been fighting for since 2004. They’ll have to win this game in an extremely hostile environment... this game could possibly be “The Game of the Year.”
Written by: Giancarlo Morera
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